It's time again for Pgh Spa Day, a wonderful event that supports The Stone Cabin Collective: a group that provides holistic health care to the Navajo people.

Enjoy a variety of health and relaxation services, food, herbal tea, and music for a great price which goes to a great cause.

It's a perfect opportunity to try acupuncture if you've never had a treatment, or get a tune up between your regular appointments. Everyone could use a little spring cleaning for the mind and body! I will be the acupuncturist on duty for the entire event.

The Liver in Chinese Medicine is associated with more than it's digestive and metabolic functions that typically come to mind. The Liver is considered "The General Official" of the body and oversees the smooth flow of qi and other bodily processes. When the function of the Liver becomes sluggish, some emotional and physical symptoms can manifest, letting us know that our Liver needs a little support.

The Liver is associated with the emotion of anger. If you find yourself feeling easily irritable or frustrated, especially around this time of year, you may be experiencing some Liver Stagnation patterns. Liver Stagnation is a common occurrence in our culture. Many of us are constantly on the move and bogged down by too much stress. Over time this can lead to digestive issues, menstrual disorders, frequent headaches, and even issues with our eyes.

Movement is good for the Liver. If you find that you feel incredibly better after exercising, this is a sign you may have some Liver Stagnation. Luckily, regular acupuncture treatment, herbal medicine, and diet can help to get your Liver Official back to a smooth, easy going rhythm.

We are pleased to announce that we are now carrying Emily Skin Soothers at our office. I have personally tested these products on myself and have had friends, family, and patients test them too. The skin balms work extremely well and can often reduce dryness, cracking, redness, and pain within a few days of use. Visit their website to learn more and read testimonials.

The soaps and skin balms are 100% natural and each products contains no more than 6 safe ingredients. It was originally created by a fellow acupuncturist for his newborn infant's eczema condition and was so effective that his patients, friends, and family encouraged him to get these wonderful products out into the world.

We are the only shop in Western PA/Pittsburgh that carries Emily Skin Soothers. Please email, call, or stop by our office to purchase and to find out which product is best for you, your child, or your furry friend!

This NY Times article deals with Anti-depressant use in women and the consequences of how these drugs mute our natural mood fluctuations and emotions.

I believe that anti-depressants can really help us to get out of an unbearable spot so we can function and begin to get to the root of the issue to get well. However, the anti-depressants themselves mute our feelings making us feel less miserable (which is wonderful), but feelings of joy, excitement, and happiness are also muted making us feel very dull.

Anti-depressants are best suited for short term use, but many of us end up taking them for the long haul. Many doctors even tell their patients that they will probably have to take the medication for the rest of their lives. This may be the case if the underlying cause of the depression/anxiety is not addressed and treated. Also, long term use leads to an increased chance of experiencing side effects such as weight gain and libido issues. What a raw deal--you feel less depressed, but now your clothes don't fit and you lack desire (which could make you feel depressed again....)

While it is never safe to go cold turkey on an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication, you can work with your doctor to slowly taper off medication as you use other methods/therapies to get at the root of your depression.

Regular acupuncture treatment can help to lift depression, increase energy, and corr_ect imbalances in the body that may be the underlying cause. Acupuncture can also help the mind/body to process traumatic mental/emotional experiences that may have caused the depression such as loss, grief, assault, abuse, war, accidents, and illness. Talk therapy in combination with acupuncture treatment can often speed up recovery and amplify the results of both therapies.

-Sarah Heiber, L.Ac

Click the picture above or link below to read the NY Times Article about Women's Emotions and Anti-depressants.

1. Vincenzo Nibalirecently won the Tour de France, perhaps one of the toughest athletic competitions in the world. During the arduous 3 week race he was treated with acupuncture twice daily. Eddy De Smedt L.Ac., a Belgian acupuncturist treated Vincenzo and all the cyclists on Team Astana. His treatments focused on assisting the racers with pain relief, quick recovery, and rest.2. Pittsburgh Pirates Pitcher A.J. Burnett considers acupuncture vital to his health. In 2009 he negotiated acupuncture into his contract with the New York Yankees. He was quoted saying “I believe in it. There’s no doubt in my mind that I think it’s helped.”3. Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers – I know the Packers loss was a devastating one, but not for lack of using every tool in the tool box to get game ready. Rodgers used acupunctureto help treat his injured calf. In a quote from ESPN, he said, “I've got to give a lot of credit to our training staff. They spent a lot of hours with me this week. They did a great job of getting me ready. My acupuncturist as well. She really helps.”4. NBA Houston Rockets star forward Chandler Parsons used acupuncture to treat chronic back pain.5. Famous former NBA forward Grant Hill received acupuncture to help his legs and boost his energy. Grant Hill said “It doesn't hurt .. they treat the whole body .. they look for the cause of the problem and fix that.”.6. Wang Qun an Olympic swimmer from China used cupping to prepare for her race at the 2008 Bejing Olympics.7. Kobe Bryant – On 1/5/13 the NBA superstar took to twitter and posted a picture of his leg with acupuncture needles in it along with the tweet“Acupuncture therapy. Whatever it takes #mambatweets” I am not a big fan of Kobe but I am always happy to see Chinese Medicine getting good press.8. Fullback, Tony Richardson – Richardson, considered on of the best fullbacks in NFL history had a distinguished career with the Vikings, Chiefs and Jets. He successfully used acupuncture for injuries and credited his acupuncturist for his quick healing time.Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine has a very very long history of effectively treating pain and speeding the recovery process. Even conservative organizations like the U.S. Army are using acupunctureto treat chronic pain in injured soldiers. Acupuncture benefits for athletes include: pain relief, faster recovery, improved circulation, muscle relaxation, better sleep and improved energy. Like many others, and for the same reasons, athletes are fans of acupuncture and the other treatments offered by Traditional Chinese Medicine as a way to treat injuries and a multitude of other health concerns.by Jennifer Dubowski, L.Ac

In continuing with our discussion of the mind/body connection and how childhood trauma often leads to physical disease in adulthood, please take some time to read this articles about ACE scores. (Link below).Remember though, even if you suffered difficulties in your youth and have a high ACE score, this does not mean you are doomed to suffer or will get sick. If you read to the end you will also see a guide to show you the power of your strength and resilience that you've had all along!We've all been through rough times in life and all deserve to heal whether you believe that to be true for yourself or not. Those traumatic experiences have been neatly tucked away to protect us, but over time, if not processed those buried experiences can start to have a negative effect on our health.Sometimes just mentioning these old events to your doctor, therapist, acupuncturist, or anyone else that you trust, can have profound healing effects because you have started the process of letting go. Acupuncture and talk therapy combined work exceptionally well in helping people heal from emotional and traumatic experiences from childhood and beyond.If you think we can help or can steer you in the right direction of someone who can, please get in touch. Healing is a process, but is worth it so you can lead a healthier, happier life and be the best you can be for yourself and your loved ones.http://acestoohigh.com/got-your-ace-score/

For the last 40 years we've heard from our doctors, coaches, and parents to put ice on our bumps, bruises, and sprains and to stay off our feet to heal.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin, who coined the popular term RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) in his book Sports Medicine, 1978 has changed his mind and retracted that RICE is the best treatment for injuries. ﻿“Nobody believes in rest anymore,” he says. “You can get a hip replacement and you’re on the bike 12 hours after surgery.” As for ice, “there is no data to show that ice does anything more than block pain,” he says. “And there is data that shows it delays healing.” The mnemonic he made famous, however, remains prevalent. “RICE is just something that stuck—and it’s wrong,” Mirkin adds. “I’m partially responsible for this misinformation.”﻿

Inflammation is not always a negative thing, in fact it is a necessary bodily response that initiates the natural healing response. Using heat on an injury encourages this process, using ice suppresses it. Heat creates better circulation which brings more oxygen, nutrients, and blood to the area which makes the repair process more efficient.

For stubborn patients that just can't let go of the old way, I tell them to use ice if they must, but for no longer than 10 mins after the initial injury. The new way is Movement, Elevation, Traction, and Heat. It also has an acronym: METH. While perhaps not the best acronym to use, it is memorable for sure. In any case, keep RICE on the dinner plates and ICE away from your injuries!

The beauty of acupuncture medicine is that not only can it help to relieve and heal physical ailments, but also can treat the mental/emotional/spiritual traumas that are often at the very root of physical disease. Western medicine is opening up to this concept (depression causing muscular aches and pains), but the mind/body connection has been inseparable in Eastern medicine for thousands of years. Acupuncture treats anxiety, depression, and PTSD that stem from childhood (or any age) abuse, violence, loss, and trauma. It helps to calm the body, process the emotions, and let go of what no longer serves and consumes the body and mind unhealthily. This very powerful article shows this connection.